News

The FIA World Formula One Championship Race Director, Charles Whiting, accompanied by members of the Macau Grand Prix Committee (CGPM), carried out an inspection of the Guia Circuit today (August 18) and gave his professional advice regarding track security, and the Committee will now proceed with its preparation work for November’s event. Accompanied by Mr. João Manuel Costa Antunes and members of Sporting and Infrastructure Subcommittees, Mr. Charles Whiting began the inspection at 10 a.m. at the Grand Prix Building. He carried out an evaluation of the present condition of the track, and heard CGPM´s suggestions and explanations relating to new equipment and reinforcement measures to be taken in order to minimize the potential inconvenience to Macau residents. In order to re-open the roads earlier after track activities on practice and race days and alleviate traffic congestion in the city, the Committee has been installing metallic gates in the circuit’s main crossroads since 2002. For the 54th Macau Grand Prix, CGPM expects to install a greater number than the 29 utilised last year, adding 15 more gates at different points around the circuit for a total of 44 gates this year. This is expected to further alleviate traffic congestion. With the purpose of enhancing safety measures for the public, the Committee is placing protective fencing on residential buildings near the circuit this year. In addition, a protective fence will be placed in the public passageway between the ferry terminal and Sands Casino as many visitors frequent this area. The safety fence will be more than 400m long and 2.85m high, and will include the public area. On the track itself, the Committee will place double yellow lights in the areas before the five high-speed bends with the aim of attracting the attention of competitors and thereby avoiding serious incidents. The 54th Macau Grand Prix will be held in November from 15 th to 18th. The organization places great importance on circuit conditions, the requirement for greater security of competitors, the public and staff, and continues to study various measures to improve the city’s traffic flow following the races. Meanwhile the organization is also committed to improving the training of track marshals and other race officials. With the collaboration of the China – Macau Autosports Club, at 2:30pm today the CGPM commenced track marshal practice near the Grand Prix Building. The training includes a written exam and probation period under the tuition of instructors with extensive experience of track marshalling, specifically in the areas of flags, information panels, tow cars, cranes and removal. The participants, who had previously completed the theoretical section of the training, displayed enthusiastic interest during the course held as preparation for the Grand Prix.
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Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) invited again this year tourism stakeholders from Asian countries to participate in the “Macau Race” program to enhance their knowledge on Macau’s tourism resources and characteristics. The objective is to involve the travel trade from Asian countries in promoting tours to Macau and to further diversify Macau’s source markets. MGTO Director João Manual Costa Antunes indicated that the Macau tourism industry has entered a new era, and Macau is diversifying its tourism products such as culture, convention & exhibition, leisure, entertainment, events, characteristic cuisine and retail. Southeast Asia and Chinese Taiwan are major source markets for Macau. At present, there are direct flights between Macau and Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, Chinese Taiwan and with the assistance of our representatives around the world, MGTO will further strengthen promotions in Asian region and to further diversify the source markets. For the past three years, the number of international visitors increased 40%, of which performance of the Southeast Asian market was outstanding. The first six months of this year saw a growth of 68.92%, which shows Macau is rapidly expanding it’s source markets. The total visitor arrivals of January to June exceeded 12 million, up 21.28%. Last year, visitor arrivals from Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines grew significantly by over 100%, 66%, 46% and 46.61% respectively. 40 tourism stakeholders from travel agencies and airline companies in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines and Chinese Taiwan arrived Macau on August 17 for a four-day visit. The delegation participated in the challenging “Macau Race” today (18). Divided into 20 teams, each team was given photos of 12 scenic spots, restaurants and shops in Macau, Taipa and Coloane, a guidebook and MOP$200. Each team has to design their own itinerary that consists of the 12 spots and complete missions at museums, souvenir shops, restaurants and Macau Tower within the allocated time. Through the “Macau Race”, participants would understand more on Macau’s tourism resources and characteristics. Participants would collect a piece of puzzle from each spot which completed will show the name of the final station. The first three teams completed the entire itinerary would win cash coupons worth MOP$5000, $4000 and $3000. MGTO would select the “Best Itinerary” out of the 20 newly created routes, and the winning itinerary will be promoted in the five countries/regions. MGTO organized a prize presentation dinner at the Macau Fisherman’s Wharf Convention and Exhibition Centre and the winners were awarded trophies and gifts.
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The police would continue to crack down on the increasing number of pickpocketing and motorcycle theft, the Secretary for Security, Mr Cheong Kuoc Va, said today. In a press conference today to release the crime statistics for the first half of this year, Mr Cheong said police recorded an increase of 6,224 reports, up 16.5 per cent compared with the same period last year. The rises included motorcycle theft, pickpocketing, deception and drug abuse cases, which rose by 96.6 per cent, 47.1 per cent, 30.4 per cent and 126.5 per cent respectively. However, the number of robbery, blackmail, loan sharking and criminal damage cases went down by 6.8 per cent to 45.5 per cent. Mr Cheong said police would deploy more officers at major tourist attractions during peak seasons to clamp down on pickpocketing In the first six months of this year police arrested 12,162 illegal immigrants and overstayers, 7,925 of them from the Mainland and 706 from other countries. Juvenile crimes went up by 30.7 per cent, with 200 young people having been involved in crimes. Mr Cheong said the police would step up visits to places where teenagers gather, in its continuing efforts to prevent juvenile crimes.
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The Chief Executive, Mr Edmund Ho Hau Wah, today submitted a share transfer contract and relevant documents to the President of the Court of Final Appeal for the record. The Office of the Chief Executive disclosed this in a statement issued today, in response to recent media coverage about the Chief Executive. The statement reiterated that in 1995 Mr Edmund Ho Hau Wah had transferred his shares in Many Town Company Limited, which he inherited from his father, to his brother Mr Ho Hau Veng, in exchange for the brother’s shares of the Tai Fung Bank in Macao. Mr Edmund Ho Hau Wah had no business links with Many Town Company Limited, the statement said. The statement said the reason Mr Edmund Ho Hau Wah’s name could still be found in relevant documents in the registry authority in Hong Kong was because he was one of the administrators of the estate of his late father. The concepts of being an administrator and a beneficiary of an estate were not the same, the statement clarified. The statement also reaffirmed that Mr Edmund Ho Hau Wah had declared his assets in accordance with the Basic Law when he took office as the Chief Executive of the Macao Special Administrative Region. The statement also said that the Chief Executive today submitted the share transfer contract signed with Mr Ho Hau Veng, and relevant documents, to the President of the Court of Final Appeal for the record. Mr Ho reiterated that all Macao officials would continue to implement the asset declaration requirement in accordance with the Basic Law and other laws and regulations, and would continue to carry out their duties with commitment and integrity, the statement said. Meanwhile, the Court of Final Appeal issued an announcement that confirmed the receipt of the photocopy of a contract submitted by the Chief Executive, which documented his share swap with Mr Ho Hau Veng. The contract was signed in the law firm of Mr Leonel Alberto Alves on March 3 1995, the announcement said. The Court had verified the authenticity of the photocopy, with its original, and is keeping this in the dossier on the Chief Executive, the announcement said.
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The Public Prosecutions Office (PPO) has started to investigate an incident in which illegal workers were found in the new home of the Director of Labour Affairs Bureau (DSAL), which was being decorated. The Secretary for Economy and Finance has sought and was granted the Chief Executive’s permission to pass on the case to the PPO since it raised public concern, a statement released by the Secretary’s office said. Several illegal workers were found in the new home of the Director of DSAL, Shuen Ka Hung, who had authorised a contractor to carry out renovation. In order to have a clearer picture on the incident, the Secretary, Mr Tam Pak Yuen, has suggested to the Chief Executive to pass the case to the Public Prosecutions Office for further investigation, the statement stated.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service indicated that visitor arrivals in package tours totalled 258,156 in June 2007, up by 24.3% year-on-year. Visitors from Mainland China (148,319) decreased by 9.0%, whereas those from Hong Kong (31,465) and Taiwan, China (28,587) recorded remarkable growth of 316.2% and 86.0% respectively compared with June 2006. In the first half of 2007, visitors arrived in package tours increased by 34.7% over the same period of 2006 to 1,956,494. In June, the number of Macao residents travelling in package tours dropped by 5.6% year-on-year to 20,487. Mainland China, Thailand, and Japan were the three most popular tour itineraries, which accounted for 60.4%, 10.7% and 9.5% of the total respectively. In the first half of 2007, Macao residents travelling in package tours dropped by 25.0% over the same period of 2006 to 97,970. Meanwhile, 32,597 residents travelled under own arrangements using services provided by travel agencies, an increase of 17.0% over June 2006. Hong Kong (40.6%), Mainland China (24.6%) and Taiwan, China (16.0%) were the major destinations. In the first half of 2007, Macao residents travelled under such arrangements dropped by 8.0% compared with the same period of 2006 to 157,615. At the end of June 2007, the number of guest rooms available in the hotel industry registered an increase of 1,474 rooms (+12.5%) year-on-year to 13,222 rooms. In June 2007, a total of 407,793 guests checked into hotels and similar establishments, representing a year-on-year growth of 17.5%. The average hotel occupancy rate rose by 0.9 percentage point to 68.9%, with 4-star hotels leading at 76.3%. The average length of stay of hotel guests increased by 0.1 night to 1.26 nights. The majority of the guests came from Mainland China (45.3%) and Hong Kong (31.5%). Number of hotel guests totalled 2,695,105 in the first half of 2007, up by 24.8% over the same period of 2006. In the first half of 2007, hotel guests (excluding Macao residents) accounted for 42.7% of the total number of tourists, up from 40.8% in 2006.
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Macao Special Administrative Region (MSAR) has begun to participate in the General Data Dissemination System (GDDS) of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) since 10 August 2007. The GDDS was established by the IMF in 1997, which recommends disseminating to the general public regularly and equitably comprehensive economic, financial, and social statistics aligned with international statistical standards in a timely manner. These data are expected to facilitate the formulation and implementation of macroeconomic policies and private investment decisions. The IMF provides to GDDS participants criteria and guidelines for disseminating comprehensive economic, fiscal, financial, external, and socio-demographic data. At the same time, it provides necessary technical assistance so that participants will achieve the relevant standards in the course of time. The entry of MSAR has increased the number of GDDS participants to 89. GDDS participants are required to submit to the IMF files about the methodology of statistics compilation (“Metadata”) and the modes of data dissemination. The contents of these files should be updated at regular intervals. In addition, GDDS participants should formulate short- and medium-term improvement plans for their statistical systems in compliance with the GDDS requirements, with a view to enhancing data quality, continuously upgrading the compilation methods and dissemination channels of statistical data. With the IMF’s technical support, the Monetary Authority of Macao together with the Statistics and Census Service and the Finance Services Bureau have jointly completed a set of Metadata templates and yearly improvement plans, coordinated the time schedule of disseminating data and analysed the feasibility of compiling other missing data. With MSAR’s formal participation in the GDDS, the relevant information is available to the international community in the Dissemination Standards Bulletin Board of the IMF’s website at
http://dsbb.imf.org/Applications/web/gdds/gddscountrycategorylist/?strcode=MAC. MSAR’s participation in the GDDS will facilitate official statistics compilation agencies to systematically evaluate and improve their statistical systems in a comprehensive and prioritised way, reinforce the efficiency and transparency of economic and financial-market operations; and build up a solid foundation for enhancing the international reputation of MSAR’s statistical system.
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The Executive Council would discuss a proposed non-mandatory provident fund scheme soon after its final study on the subject, which could see its introduction next year. This was disclosed today by the Chief Executive, Mr Edmund Ho Hau Wah, when he answered legislators' questions on government policies and other issues during the plenary meeting of the Legislative Assembly. Mr Ho said the Government had decided not to launch a mandatory scheme but a voluntary one instead, adding that the formula for non-compulsory contributions from employers and the labour sectors would be opened for public discussion. He said the Government would contribute a sum of money from the revenue at the launch of the new scheme. Aside from the non-compulsory contributions, a reasonable percentage would be retained from the revenue annually for every contributor. He also said the nature of fund would be "portable", meaning it would "follow" contributors when they changed jobs. Mr Ho said the Government has no intension to change the existing social welfare system, but the existing and new scheme together would benefit more people, especially the elderly. On housing, Mr Ho said that basically from now on, the Government would build housing for Home-Ownership Scheme and public housing units on its own rather than in co-operation with private developers. He said that the business cycle of real estate market and other factors would influence private developers' pace to carry out public housing projects. By building on its own the public's needs for housing would be met in a timely manner, he said.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service indicated that a total of 980 new companies were incorporated in the second quarter of 2007, with the total registered capital amounted to MOP99.01 million, up by 27.1% and 0.6% respectively compared with the same quarter of 2006. The majority of the new companies were operating in Wholesale and Retail (319), following by Construction (210), Business Services (169) and Real Estate (116). On the other hand, number of dissolutions of companies totalled 81 in the second quarter of 2007, involving MOP58.84 million in registered capital, and the majority were operating in Wholesale and Retail (33). Among the shareholders of the new companies incorporated, 59.9% were Macao residents. In addition, the number of new companies with the value of capital at MOP50 000 or less (678) accounted for 69.2% of the total, whereas their respective capital made up 19.6% of the total registered capital. Meanwhile, 856 of the total new incorporations were limited companies. Based on the place of residence of the shareholders, the capital of the new companies incorporated in the second quarter of 2007 came mostly from Macao (MOP52.28 million); followed by Hong Kong (MOP16.92 million) and Mainland China (MOP16.61 million). Besides, Guangdong Province (MOP7.57 million) topped the list of the capital coming from the Pan-Pearl River Delta provinces. Among the new companies incorporated, 799 were established by shareholders from a single country/region, the majority of which (501 companies) were established solely by Macao shareholders and 177 were established solely by shareholders from Hong Kong (177 companies). The number of the new companies incorporated jointly by shareholders from Macao and other countries/regions totalled 140, of which 62 were joint ventures between Macao and Hong Kong and 51 were between Macao and Mainland China. The new companies incorporated jointly by shareholders solely from other countries/regions totalled 41, of which 10 were joint ventures between Hong Kong and Mainland China and 5 were between Hong Kong and the British Virgin Islands.
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Wynn Macau – 19th Macau International Fireworks Displays Contest will be held on September 15, 22, 25, 29 and October 1 at the sea area in front of the Macau Tower. The Macau International Fireworks Display Contest, organized by Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO), has always been an important event. This year Wynn Macau continues to be the title sponsor for the Macau International Fireworks Display Contest. MGTO Director João Manuel Costa Antunes and Wynn Macau President Ian Coughlan signed the sponsorship agreement today (August 1). Antunes expressed that the cooperation with Wynn Macau again in the 19th Macau International Fireworks Displays Contest signified that the participation of tourism related enterprises played an important role in enhancing the development of Macau’s tourism industry. This year, together with two fireworks enthusiasts Mr. Lei Ip Fei and Ms. Anita Fung Pou Chu, MGTO will publish a book titled “Fireworks Art in Macau” which will introduce, in five sections, the 18-year history of the Macau International Fireworks Display Contest, the history and development of fireworks and firecrackers, the art and culture of fireworks, the artistic appreciation of fireworks and a series of artworks (oil on canvas) illustrating fireworks and historic sites in Macau, with the aim to educate the public about the relationship between Macau and the art of fireworks. With 18 years of history, the Macau International Fireworks Display Contest has gained worldwide recognition for the quality of its participating teams, the scale and the performance standard of the contest. The contest this year features ten teams from the United Kingdom, Korea, Australia, Chinese Taiwan, Portugal, the Philippines, United States of America, Japan, France and China; each will show off their pyrotechnic wizardry to spectators both from Macau and overseas. A leading pyrotechnic company in the United Kingdom, Kimbolton Fireworks Limited will surely bring pleasant surprises to the audience as a first timer to the Macau International Fireworks Display Contest.
Hunan Xintiancheng Fireworks Manufacturing Co., Ltd. from Mainland China and Artifices JCO SA. from France are also taking part for the first time. Artifices JCO SA. has outstanding techniques in pyro-melodic shows and is specialized in presenting fireworks shows in story style, with “The Little Prince” as their representative work. San Tai Fireworks Ind. Co., Ltd. from Chinese Taiwan is no stranger to the fireworks display contest. This team, who won the contest in 2003, has the skills and capacity to challenge the championship this year. Grupo Luso Pirotecnia from Portugal comprises 5 pyrotechnic companies with branches located around the country. Some branches even have a history of close to a century. The pyrotechnic group is an active participant in worldwide fireworks displays competitions and was the winner of the Macau International Fireworks Display Contest in 1996. Other participating teams, with their unique techniques and rich experiences in local and international competitions, will surely bring audiences a colorful and memorable time. This year again, each participating team is requested to complement their display with music to enthrall the audience with a light and sound spectacular. MGTO will strive to improve year on year the quality of the Macau International Fireworks Display Contest to make it an event not to be missed for residents and visitors. For the first time, spectators will also be able to listen to live music of the fireworks displays through Radio Macau’s live broadcast at FM100.7. To enhance the effect and audience enjoyment, sound systems will be installed at the waterfront of the Macau Tower Outdoor Plaza, at the Macau Tower Street seaside and at the square in front of Kun Iam Statue on Ave. Dr Sun Yat Sen so that the public can enjoy synchronized music to the spectacular displays. The teams taking part in this year’s contest are: Kimbolton Fireworks Limited from the United Kingdom, Hanwha Corporation from Korea, Five Star Fireworks from Australia, San Tai Fireworks Ind. Co., Ltd. from Chinese Taiwan, Grupo Luso Pirotecnia from Portugal, Starmaker Inc. from the Philippines, Illumination Internationale Ltd. from the United States of America, Marutamaya Ogatsu Fireworks Co., Ltd. from Japan, Artifices JCO SA from France and Hunan Xintiancheng Fireworks Manufacturing Co., Ltd from China. Each fireworks display will last for approximately 18 minutes, and there will be two displays per evening at 9pm and 10pm. The organizer will attribute US$17,500 to each fireworks team as subsidy. The winner will receive US$6,000, trophy and certificate. First and second runners-up will receive US$3,200, US$1,800, trophies and certificates respectively.
The Macau International Fireworks Display Contest first started in 1989, with only five participating teams. By 1995, the event has developed into a ten-team event, with two different teams showing their expertise each night. For the past 18 years, over 100 international teams had taken part in the Macau International Fireworks Display Contest. MGTO will continue to work towards advancing the event’s international status and reputation, with the vision to bring about the world’s most prominent international fireworks display. The annual Macau International Fireworks Display Contest attracts large numbers of visitors and local residents, while playing an important role in enhancing Macau’s tourism industry and in raising its profile. MGTO and the General Union of Neighbors Association of Macau will again jointly present the Fireworks Carnival to offer an array of live entertainment, cultural activities and culinary delights on the fireworks display nights. In order to capture the spectacular moments of the fireworks display contest, photo and drawing competitions will be held again this year. Wynn Macau – 19th Macau International Fireworks Display Contest Photo Competition and Wynn Macau – 19th Macau International Fireworks Display Contest Drawing Competition will invite entries soon. Winners of the two competitions will be entitled to premiums and trophies. The prize presentation ceremony for the 18th Macau International Fireworks Display Contest Photo Competition and the 18th Macau International Fireworks Display Contest Drawing Competition was also held today and the winning photos and drawings are exhibited at basement 1 of Macau Tourism and Cultural Activities Centre.
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